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Looking for advice on hooking up new TV + BluRay into existing vintage rig

P

Phillip M

New Member
Ok, I’m going to try and keep this simple to start...this sounds crazy but I have been using my computer (Mac mini + monitor + Apogee Duet DAC) to stream music and watch movies / streaming services and have had no TV for more years than I can remember...the computer has all gone through the Apogee Duet DAC into the Aux input of my vintage 2 Channel rig: Sansui AU-999 -> Klipsch Cornwalls + a couple turntables, etc.

I’m considering getting a new 4K 43” TV and 4K BluRay player to be able to watch my dvd/Blu-ray collection more easily with better results and have the streaming services integrated into the TV as opposed to all going though the (aging) Mac Mini.

Question - what do I need to run all TV + BluRay audio output into the DAC and by extension out into the 2 channel vintage setup as well as keep my current computer (with all digital music) going into the DAC as well and relatively simple to switch between. Would be ideal to get rid of the external computer monitor and be able to use the TV as a computer monitor.

Is this possible / realistic all together? How do I do it? I have no experience with TV and BluRay audio output coming from a mostly analog 2 channel system mostly.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
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Phillip M said:
Question - what do I need to run all TV + BluRay audio output into the DAC and by extension out into the 2 channel vintage setup as well as keep my current computer (with all digital music) going into the DAC as well and relatively simple to switch between. Would be ideal to get rid of the external computer monitor and be able to use the TV as a computer monitor.
Click to expand...
Using the TV as a monitor is definitely doable (that's what I'm using as I type this) but you have to ensure that your Mac will support 4k@60hz. You might need an active HDMI converter for that.

The rest may be a bit more difficult. Your DAC appears only to have a USB input. This rules out the use of any dedicated A/V components, which would require either S/PDIF or HDMI. I'm not really up on 4K Bluray players, but S/PDIF has generally gone out of favor for A/V use, so it's possible that none exist with an S/PDIF output. If you want to keep using an external DAC you'd need to purchase one with an HDMI input (and output, to send to the TV), and if you wanted to use the TV for streaming, it would need ARC capability as well. I'm assuming these exist, but at this point, you're getting close to the functionality of an A/V preamp.
 
Thank you for the reply. Good to know. I think I understand this a bit better and some of the limitations.

What is a well liked budget friendly AV preamp on this forum for this application? I’m assuming if I integrate an AV preamp then its audio output will be able to go via RCA into an input on my Sansui AU-999 integrated amp?
 
Phillip M said:
What is a well liked budget friendly AV preamp on this forum for this application? I’m assuming if I integrate an AV preamp then its audio output will be able to go via RCA into an input on my Sansui AU-999 integrated amp?
Click to expand...
There aren't really any budget-friendly AV preamps. In fact, in general, midpriced AV receivers are cheaper than an AV preamp. In addition, once you start using a preamp, then the Sansui will basically just be functioning as a power amp. So that was sort of a red herring on my part, so I apologize.

Let's consider all your options, since you haven't purchased the player and TV yet:
  1. Any TV, plus BluRay player with analog output and streaming features - this would be the simplest solution. Connect the left/right outputs from the BluRay to your Sansui, connect the HDMI output of the player to the TV, and only use the TV as a monitor.
  2. Any TV, BluRay player without analog outputs, HDMI DAC - Would work the same as above, but would require an HDMI connection from the BluRay to the DAC, and from the DAC to the TV. Make sure the DAC has an HDMI output
  3. Any TV, BluRay player, HDMI audio extractor with analog outputs - this would allow you to use the ARC on the TV to send audio to your amp. Connect the BluRay to one TV input, connect the audio extractor to the TV's ARC input (or it might be that the audio extractor has an input as well, which you can connect the BluRay to). Connect the audio extractor's analog outputs (make sure there are some) to the amp. This may be a bit iffy; it would depend on how well ARC on the TV works with external inputs. Use TV or BluRay for streaming
  4. Any TV, BluRay player with S/PDIF output, DAC with multiple inputs - connect the TV's optical output and the BluRay's S/PDIF (could be optical or co-ax) outputs to the DAC. Should be good quality (i.e. uncompressed) if you set both outputs to PCM, but I'm not 100% positive about this. You'll have a wide selection of DACs to choose from. You can use either the TV or BluRay for streaming
There are probably others that I didn't even think of. I suggest you do a little research to see which of these will work best for you (and which will actually work as I described)
 
Here is what I do:

Blu-ray player connected, using a HDMI cable to

Smart TV

Smart TV audio output 3.5mm jack (headphone/line level) to amplifier​

Use a second HDMI cable between computer and TV to use the TV as a computer monitor.

Works well and is simple.
 
Ok, just to update - I have everything in hand now and hooked up.

This is what I’ve done so far and it seems to be working, though I just hooked it all up last night / this morning and little testing time so far.

BluRay HDMI out into Smart TV
Using TV Bluetooth sound out into a BluDento Bluetooth receiver / DAC that I already had on hand (and forgot about)
BluDento rca into back of the Sansui line level input

I also have an HDMI cable from the Mac Mini into 2nd HDMI input on the TV and that seems to work fine.

I have left my current Apogee Duet DAC as is strictly for music playback through the Mac Mini as the inputs are FireWire, it’s about 10 years old, and is intended mainly for recording (music) and this seems simpler to manage for others in the house other than me when using / possibly switching back and forth between TV speakers and vintage stereo rig.

Any issues with this setup?

Thanks for the support
 
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